1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a composite building structure and a method of constructing the same. It further relates to a thermally insulating laminated construction board, a method of construction utilizing the construction board, and a method of applying a surface treatment to the construction board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For a number of years the building industry has employed many types of foam panels to provide thermal insulation and to serve as backing for various facing materials such as stucco or other surface finishing material. Typically these foam panels have been installed by cementing them, or mechanically fastening them, to an underlying substrate. This has proven generally satisfactory, but does require extra time and labor to install an underlying substrate, and then affix a separate layer of insulating foam panels. Also, the foam panels alone do not have sufficient tensile strength, and an underlying substrate is required in order to achieve a structural rating under building codes, where required.
The use of a composite sheathing material comprising a support backing bonded to an insulating foam layer, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,554, is an advance in the art, in that the support back and foam layer arrive at the building site already bonded together, eliminating the need to separately attach the layers. However, ordinary installation methods are inadequate if a structural rating is required since the restraining means of the fasteners used (e.g., the head of a nail, or the crown of a staple) engage the outer surface of the foam insulation, which has insufficient resistance to compression to hold the panel securely against an underlying wall substructure.
Additionally, whether or not a structural rating is required, unless special and relatively expensive fastening means are used, surface finishing material layered over these fasteners is subject to "nail pops" (fractures of the layer due to uneven support over a fastener), and "rust through" (staining of the layer due to the rusting of the underlying fastener). While cementing of the panels to the underlying wall substructure avoids these problems, the use of an adhesive cement can be more expensive, and results in delays to allow adequate drying of the cement. Further, the temperature range in which these adhesives can be applied is restricted.
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,246 discloses an additional advance in the art. In one embodiment, it discloses a composite insulation board having a plurality of spaced transversely extending holes for the reception of fasteners for attaching the board to a building wall. Disposed coaxially within each hole is a flanged sleeve through which fasteners, such as screws, nails, or the like are driven, engaging the underlying wall structure and securing the board in tight abutting relation to the surface of the underlying wall structure. The fasteners are provided with heads which engage the flanged ends of the hollow sleeves. Plugs of insulating material are inserted to fill the holes after the fasteners have been installed, covering the ends of the fasteners and avoiding the problems of fasteners which engage the outer surface of a construction panel.
This system is generally satisfactory. However, there are a finite number of fastening locations provided on such a panel. If the underlying structure has a void beneath one of the fastening locations of the panels, the panel cannot be fastened in that location. Furthermore, securing the plugs in the holes is an additional labor step. Plugs of insulating material are inserted to fill the holes after the fasteners have been installed, covering the ends of the fasteners and avoiding the problems of fasteners which engage the outer surface of a construction panel.
Other fastening systems, such as the FINESTONE EIS Mechanical Fastening System, sold by Applicant's Assignee, have been developed which are not limited as to the positioning of the holes, but this is still a rather labor-intensive system when compared with the present invention.
Thus, those skilled in the art continue to look for solutions to the problem of providing an inexpensive, insulated, laminated construction board and methods for easily, quickly, and securely installing and finishing construction boards.